Initiation
by Yanagi Uxinta
Summary: In a world where Voldemort never fell, he carries out the plan he had for the diary since the day he gave it to Lucius Malfoy for safekeeping.


Today was a big day. Mother fussed and made sure his best robes lay perfectly, no wrinkles. Father paced in the hallway as they prepared to set off, sending them frequent, proud smiles over his shoulder. Dobby bustled about, gathering their things together. Dobby made sure his travelling cloak was warm enough even though it was late August, his big eyes anxious. He was coming with them – or rather, he'd Apparate to them later, when Father said so. Better to keep the box safe in the manor until the last possible moment.

The moment to leave came all too soon – Father had his hand on his shoulder as they stepped into the mild night air, Mother was clasping his hand tightly, even though he wasn't a _child_ anymore. But when he frowned up at her to ask her to let go, he paused. Mother looked tense.

'Is everything alright, Mother?'

She looked down at him, gave him a warm smile. 'Just excited, and a little nervous. This is a big day, after all,' she said quietly. Her voice was a little _too_ soft, like she wasn't telling him something, but Father squeezed his shoulder as they neared the gates and he turned away from her pale face. They stepped through the gates that opened at their approach, then stopped just outside their boundary.

'Hold tight to your mother now, Draco,' Father said, squeezing again.

Draco nodded and gripped Mother's hand tight, scrunching his eyes shut against the discomfort of Apparition. It was over in a moment, and Father stood and patted his back until he felt better.

Nausea rapidly fading, Draco looked around eagerly, only to sigh, slightly disappointed. He knew that large, ornate old house. This was Aunt Bellatrix and Uncle Rodolphus' home.

Aunt Bella greeted them at the door. 'Cissy!' She swooped onto Mother with hugs and kisses, bouncing with excitement. 'And my brilliant little nephew!' It was his turn to be smothered by her thick hair, but he laughed all the same. You couldn't help but laugh when Aunt Bella got excited. She pulled back, stooping down to be on his level, beaming. 'I am _so_ proud of you,' she said, cupping his face and planting another kiss on his forehead.

'Now Bella, I think we've kept everyone waiting long enough,' Father said, a bit impatiently.

'Of course, of course – come on in, nearly everyone's here.'

'We aren't late, I hope?' Mother wasn't often sharp like that.

Aunt Bella shook her head. 'No, no. Early, in fact. Everyone's still getting settled. He should be here in a minute,' she said in an odd, heavy tone – one Draco recognised immediately. He looked up at his parents, excited, as they ushered him into the hall.

He recognised nearly everyone here, but he was the only one underage. Theodore Nott and Vincent Crabbe hadn't been invited, he noted proudly, though he saw their fathers talking in a small reading corner, seated in a pair of armchairs.

Mother and Father made their way around the room, greeting everyone. One of them always had a tight grip on his shoulder at all times, but Draco didn't say anything. They'd made him promise to stay close the whole night, and now he was here he didn't mind so much. He felt very small among the adults, who referenced things above his head with knowing smirks. There was a tension in the air, everyone obviously waiting.

Then a ripple went around the room, a collective flinch as hands rose to rub or grab left forearms. Father's grip on his shoulder tightened again, and he steered Draco around to face the drawing room door. Mother closed in at his other side, her hand – lighter, delicate – on his other shoulder. Draco's mouth felt dry, his skin prickling with nerves as Aunt Bella ran out into the hall to get the door.

Everyone was silent, no sound but the crackling fire. They listened as the door opened and Aunt Bella greeted the final guest, breathless. 'Welcome, my lord.'

'Bellatrix.' The door closed and footsteps headed towards the doorway; Aunt Bella's heels clicking rapidly, and a softer, slower pair that were barely audible beneath Auntie's heels.

'Everyone's here my lord, just in the drawing room.'

'Excellent, we can begin straight away.'

Aunt Bella appeared in the doorway, but stepped aside to allow the man in first. Draco clasped his clammy hands tightly behind his back, heart pounding as Lord Voldemort swept into the room.

Tall, spidery, pale. He surveyed the room in silence, taking in the gathered people.

'Welcome, my friends,' he said quietly, as though this were his home. 'And welcome to our special guest tonight, who I am sure many of you have already met.' And then, to Draco's mingled fear and amazement, Lord Voldemort turned to face him. Draco stood straighter as Aunt Bella swept around to Mother's side and Father cleared his throat.

'May I introduce our son, Draco, my lord.'

At Father's squeeze, Draco took a breath and stepped forward, his well-rehearsed line coming easily as he swept into a deep bow. 'An honour to meet you, my lord.' He held his bow for a long second, then rose and stepped back to his parents' hands.

Voldemort had a very faint smile when Draco looked again. 'And a very well-mannered boy you have, Lucius. Tell me, Draco, have your parents told you why you are here tonight?'

This answer was rehearsed as well. 'Only that you have a job for me, my lord.'

'Very good,' Voldemort said, nodding briefly above Draco's head at his parents in approval. 'You are about to start Hogwarts, are you not?'

'Yes sir. I got my letter last week.'

'And tell me, Draco, which house would you like to be in, when you are Sorted?'

Draco lifted his chin, proud and knowing this answer for himself. 'Slytherin, my lord!'

That faint smile again. 'Of course. Now, to business,' he said, turning back to Father again. 'You have it?'

Father nodded. 'My house elf will bring it now, my lord. I thought it safer to leave it under its main protective enchantments until the last possible moment. Dobby!' He added, as the Dark Lord nodded in approval.

Dobby arrived with his usual loud crack, levitating the ornate wooden box above his head. He was shaking. 'Here, Master.'

'On the table, Dobby.'

Dobby nodded and gently lowered the box to a side table the group gravitated towards, clustering curiously but no one daring to get too close.

'There are just a few final enchantments on the box itself-'

'I will take care of those, Lucius.' Voldemort stepped forward, drawing a pale wand from a pocket in his black robes. He pointed it at the box wordlessly, but there was the soft sound of loose chains and keys turning, and the box glowed very faintly green before everything subsided.

Draco watched, eager, as Lord Voldemort opened the lid of the box. Though it had been given to Father for safekeeping years ago – the year Draco was born actually – Draco had never seen inside of it.

It was a bit of an anti-climax when Voldemort lifted out a simple, plain black book. Not very big, simple leather. Old, cheap even.

Draco looked up, puzzled when Voldemort turned to him.

'Do you know what this is, Draco?' He asked, red eyes sharp though his voice was soft.

Draco teetered over his answer, feeling like he was being tested. 'I don't think so, my lord,' he said, glancing nervously at the little book.

'You don't think so? Look at me, Draco.'

Draco made himself meet those eyes, desperate not to look stupid, scared of saying the wrong thing. 'It looks like an old book, my lord.'

There was a whisper of sound in the group, like laughter or curiosity stifled. Draco felt his cheeks flushing, but Voldemort didn't smile or laugh. After a long moment, he merely nodded and looked down at the book in his hand, as if considering it. 'Quite right. You are right to have your doubts, however. This is more than a simple book. This is also a key. Tell me, Draco, have you ever heard about the Chamber of Secrets?'

An odd hush fell across the room. Draco swallowed and nodded.

'And what do you know of it?'

'Only that it's a hidden place in Hogwarts, created by Salazar Slytherin himself – most people don't think it exists, but…' he glanced up at Father for reassurance, received a terse nod. 'But Grandpa Abraxas used to tell stories about when he was at Hogwarts. He said the Chamber had opened while he was there. He said there was a monster in the Chamber that attacked Mudbloods. Said it killed one in the end. After that they said the person who opened the Chamber was caught, and the attacks stopped. That was all about fifty years ago though.'

Voldemort gave a small nod. 'A fine summary. You are quite right – the Chamber did open fifty years ago, and a girl was killed. And someone was expelled for the attacks, which then ceased. Since then, the school has allowed the Chamber to fall back into myth, to let its students believe they are safe once more – indeed, many of them believe it to be so, as the creature they believed responsible was thought to have fled the school the night its owner was caught. However…'

The room was crackling like the fire, tension holding them all motionless as they watched Voldemort run a bone-white finger down the spine of the book, a smile on his skeletal face. 'They never caught the true culprit. The monster that fled was not the one committing the attacks. That monster still lurks in the castle, returned to the Chamber to slumber for fifty years, waiting for the Heir of Slytherin to return and unleash it back on the school. That time has come.' He looked up from the book, around at his followers, resting his hand on the cover of the book. 'While the true Heir cannot return to the school, this diary can be used by another. The Heir enchanted it to act as a key to the Chamber, and thus as protection from the monster.'

Now Voldemort turned to Draco and, to Draco's astonishment, held the diary out to him. Hesitantly, Draco reached for it. He glanced up at that skull-like face, making sure he hadn't misread him. When Voldemort merely looked at him, Draco took the diary with a sense of apprehension, like he expected something momentous to happen.

Nothing did. It was a plain little book, leather smooth under his fingers. Draco was tempted to start flicking through the pages to see what the Heir of Slytherin had written, but he didn't dare with Voldemort watching him. Instead he held it carefully with both hands, looked up at Voldemort and swallowed. 'Thank you, my lord.'

Voldemort pointed a pale finger at the book. 'That diary will give you all the instruction you need to reopen the Chamber. Our world has become far too lax in who it allows access to magical education, who is even called a witch or wizard. It is time to continue Salazar Slytherin's work, to establish his dream of a school that caters only to those pure of blood. And should more deaths occur, well… the beast knows only to target Mudbloods. Your job, Draco, will be to identify them so the creature knows its targets. That way, none of the purebloods shall be harmed. This act will cause a great deal of fear and panic. Should there ever be talk of the school closing – as indeed there was in the Heir of Slytherin's day, as your grandfather will have known – then it may be prudent to close the Chamber for a time, allow things to return to normal. Our goal is not the closure of the school, but its purification.'

He assessed Draco again, as though looking for doubt or weakness. 'Are you prepared to take on this job, Draco?'

Back to answers he knew, though he wasn't nearly as excited as he thought he would be. Scared, yes, and nervous. But he would do it. 'Ready and proud, my lord.'

The Death Eaters around him gave a rumbled noise of approval, not quite a cheer. Aunt Bella whispered from beside Mother. 'Well done, Draco!'

Nerves assuaged a little, Draco allowed himself a smile and looked up at his parents.

Proud. Tense. Mother's fingers were digging into his shoulder, but she smiled at him when he looked at her. 'My brave boy,' she said quietly.

'We'd best put that back in its box until you're ready to leave for school, Draco,' Father said, after a glance at the Dark Lord. When Voldemort nodded, Father took the diary from him and lowered it back into its box. Voldemort himself redid the enchantments while Father called Dobby back. The house elf looked faint with fright, and his eyes were brimming with tears when he looked at Draco. But he took the box silently, and Disapparated with a loud crack that was heard even over the general hubbub of chatting Death Eaters, now that the meeting was unofficially over.

Mother and Father left soon after, thanking people and bowing deeply to Lord Voldemort before they left, Draco mimicking them all the way around the room. Aunt Bella walked them out, hugging Draco one-armed as they headed to the door, gushing about how proud she was and what a great thing Draco was doing. It was almost a relief to get outside, away from the pressure of all those people.

As they Apparated home, Draco couldn't help that think that in less than a month he would be arriving at Hogwarts, with the diary in his trunk, waiting to unleash a monster on the school. For weeks, he'd been proud and eager to do the Dark Lord's work. Now it came to it though, Draco just felt scared. He wished it had been Nott or Crabbe who had been asked to do it.

At least he wouldn't be hurting anyone, not really. It would be the Heir of Slytherin, and his monster. He just had to find the door and let it out. After that, it was out of his hands.


End file.
